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Most UK households would rather fill their weekends with footie, the latest docu-soap on TV or retail therapy than watching horse racing.

In the past 30 years, attendance figures at races have plunged by 68 per cent to fewer than five million - less than two per cent of the population.

Worse still, the stereotype of this two per cent segment is a reason why the mass market is steering clear. At one end of the social spectrum the sport is associated with working class men, hunched over pints clutching their betting slips. At the other, upper class people meander around racing events wearing big hats and call each other 'dahling'.

Racing's heyday was around the middle of the 20th century - a time when the sport had to work little to attract audiences keen to have a flutter.

But the UK population has changed dramatically since then. As the lines between social classes blurred and the UK moved towards the so-called 'classless' society, the message about who the sport targets also became unclear. Because of this confusion, racing lost out to marketing-savvy new entrants to the leisure arena, such as video rental chains and multiplex cinemas.

Two years ago, the Racing Betting and Marketing Group (RBMG), a committee set up by the government and responsible for revenue from betting, decided to address the problem through marketing. The British Horseracing Board (BHB), a member of the committee, took control of the strategy's implemention, and £10m budget, and hatched a plan to run 'Discover Racing' days at each of the UK's 59 racecourses, aiming to lift attendances from five to six million over three years.

Zoe Taylor, marketing manager at BHB, briefed McCann-Erickson Manchester to devise a solution that would collect data, educate the customer about what a day out entails, introduce the new booking service, which operates online and via a call centre, and capture the imagination of the dissenting masses. She particularly had her eye on women, families and 18- to 35-year-olds.

The agency came up with the strapline, 'get your heart racing' to encapsulate the excitement people experience when they stand and watch the horses thunder past. And the creative, by MGA Design, featured a variety of different segments of the population enjoying a day at the races.

Direct response was key, says Taylor. "We needed to drive response to the new booking service to build a database for the future and we wanted the marketing to be measurable. BHB uses responses to track customer behaviour and find out if race-goers are booking in singles, groups or families, and spot any other trends.

After the national launch of the Discover Racing campaign, direct marketing was tailored to individual courses. "Each racecourse is unique and all race days are different, explains Keely Welch, account manager at McCann-Erickson. She picks Haydock Park as an example of a venue that is likely to attract a younger generation with its Irish bands and party-atmosphere, and Bath as a race-day suited to families with its 'Teddy Bear Picnic' enclosure and face-painting professionals.

Media were chosen from regional press ads, radio ads, leafleting and direct mail, but all included a direct response mechanism. Offers, such as group discounts and buy-one-get-one-free, were also altered according to venue.

Welch identifies radio and direct mail as the most successful media.

"We used direct mail to target small businesses and pubs because it is such a specific market, and business- and pub-owners are well placed to round up a group of people for the races, she says. Pubs are also good at spreading the word, and mailings contained posters for use on notice boards.

There are only 10 Discover Racing days left to run, but Welch argues it is difficult to track responses at this stage, as the decision to attend a race is often spontaneous, depending on factors such as the weather.

However, results show a 12 per cent lift in average visitor figures in 2002, with some venues reporting up to 50 per cent increases. Of the data collected through the booking service, 32 per cent of customers are new to racing and, though there is a general bias to males (60:40), most females fitted the desired 25- to 35-year-old category.

The racing industry does not plan to rest on its laurels. A national campaign, which mirrors the regional executions, was launched in June to maintain the momentum and follow-up mailings and e-mails are being sent to customers on the database. Taylor's next big challenge is to persuade race-goers to book in advance, regardless of the British weather.

CAMPAIGN STATS

BACKGROUND - Horse racing as a spectator sport has suffered severe decline over the past 30 years, with attendance plummeting by 68 per cent. This has been triggered by cultural changes in the UK and the overwhelming choice of leisure activities available today.

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES - The British Horseracing Board briefed agency McCann-Erickson Manchester to create a campaign to dispel the many misconceptions surrounding the sport, drive traffic at the 59 racecourses across the UK and alert customers to a new booking service. The aim was to attract a cross-section of society, especially 18- to 35-year-olds and families, paving the way to lucrative sponsorship deals.

THE CAMPAIGN - 'Discover Racing', launched in July 2001. The campaign was tailored to each racecourse, but included a range of direct response press ads, radio ads, direct mail and leafleting. 'Discover Racing Days' hosted by each racecourse drummed up local interest. Forty-nine events have been held, ten more are planned by the end of this year.

RESULTS - The campaign boosted average attendance by 12 per cent in 2002, but some courses clocked in over 50 per cent lift. Data collected from the new booking service shows 32 per cent of customers are new to racing. And, although there is a bias towards men, women booking tended to be between 25 and 35.